


That's Doctor Gottlieb to You

by lonely_lovebird



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Bullying, Everyone lives, Everyone stands up for Hermann, Fix-It, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hermann stands up for himself, Just a bunch of fluffy feels, Kink Meme, standing up to bullies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 00:57:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5765551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonely_lovebird/pseuds/lonely_lovebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their victory tour, old familiar, unfriendly faces show up from Hermann's past. And those Jaeger pilots you just called nancy boys? They don't like the way you're talking to their friend. It's time everyone knew that it's Doctor Gottlieb and he just saved the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's Doctor Gottlieb to You

There are very few things you can live through without thinking the whole world has changed. Saving the world from the apocalypse by kaiju seemed like one of them. Hermann Gottlieb was almost positive that by the laws of the universe, he shouldn't be in this situation. He'd just saved all of humanity and yet here he was, facing down his worst fear.

Really, his worst fear was nothing more than the same boys from his boarding school who had mercilessly tormented him as a boy. Fear gripped his chest as he spotted them across the floor of the pub the few remaining members of the PPDC inner circle had holed up in, himself, Newton, Tendo, Raleigh, Mako, Stacker, Herc, and Chuck, to be precise.

He had exactly fourteen more steps to make it back to their booth, he calculated. If he could manage to slip back into the booth unseen, perhaps his nightmare of facing them would never be realized. Hermann should have known better than to trust the idea of London.

The final survivors had gathered in London for the worldwide press conference, which was to be held two days hence. For now, there was a lot of drinking, celebrating, storytelling, reminiscing, and the glorifying of that feeling of relief that they had actually done it.

Hermann began to make his way from the restroom to the table, counting each forced step, each click of his cane on the polished wooden floors.

_ One...two...three...four...five...six...  _ He was at eleven when there was a hand on his shoulder. The space between himself and the booth was still too far to make in four steps, he'd been overestimating the size of his own gait. Again.

"Hermann Gottlieb?" the voice that hadn't really changed since he was eighteen asked. "Is that really you, Hermy?" He sounded amused. Hermann spun around, leaning on his cane, to face the three faces he'd hoped he never have to see again.

A stone dropped in his stomach. "Lucas," he responded, mind recalling the days when that name on his lips meant unfathomable cruelty. He felt like he was twelve again, hiding in the cupboard of the chemistry lab, knees tucked up as he cried.

Lucas Bradford and his two cronies, Miles Tyler and Adam Burns were standing in front of him, no longer the ghosts of his past but the spectres of his looming present. Lucas had filled out, no longer the attractive baby-faced footballer, he had a strong jaw and sideswept hair that belonged on a beach in California. Miles and Adam hadn't fared so well, Miles still had an overly large nose and Adam had a heavy brow most likely brought on from too many rugby collisions.

"God, it is you, Squirmy Hermy! Talk about a blast from the past!" Lucas seemed delighted. "Still dressing like my granddad I see. What have you been doing, Squirmy? Still grinding your nose on the chalkboard?" He took a glance at Hermann's cane and his face split into what Newton would probably call a 'shit-eating grin'.

"Limpy Hermy now, eh?" he asked. "What happened to the leg, Gimpy?"

"An accident, unavoidable." Hermann said stiffly. He was aiming for the tactic that had seen him through his boarding school days. When unable to run and hide, stand and wait it out. So far the names hadn't progressed past bearable.

Lucas looked as if he were going to start in on the state of Hermann's leg again. It was the only new thing about Hermann that Lucas hadn't rehashed over and over as teenagers. In their boarding school, Lucas had been in Hermann's dormitory and had been given plenty of material simply by being around Hermann for longer than a few hours a day.

There truly had been no safe place for Hermann in his childhood. At home he had his father and at school he had Lucas.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind Hermann, sending a shock down his body. He would know that voice anywhere, it was branded in his soul. And it was furious. "But I don't think you know who you're talking to."

Newton Geiszler stepped around Hermann to stand by his side and face down Lucas. To his credit, Lucas took it in stride with barely a hiccup. He stared down at Newton, dishevelled in his rumpled white shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, haphazard tie, and new glasses - but still in the same frames. The bright ink on his forearms was clearly visible, almost like a gang sign - a warning.

Lucas scoffed. "Sure, this is Squirmy Hermy, we're old school chums. And let me guess - you're his...midget boyfriend?" This actually got a chuckle out of Miles and Adam, to Hermann's surprise. Of all the things, height insults were the least inventive.

Newton looked like he was ready to punch the living daylights out of Lucas. "No, really, I don't think you know who you're talking to. See, this man right here is responsible for saving your pathetic little existence on this planet, and you should really show him some proper respect, Lucas."

Lucas looked flabberghasted for a moment. "How did you know my name?"

Newton glared. "And while you're at it, I'd apologize for the chalk incident, if I were you. And don't even ask which one, because you know."

"Who the hell do you think you are, you pikey tosser?" Lucas reared back, eyes wide. He looked absolutely furious. Hermann knew that he remembered exactly what chalk incident Newton had mentioned, and as proof his face turned a brilliant shade of scarlet.

"You want to go with me?" he asked. "I'll knock your fucking head off."

There was suddenly a heavy arm draped around Hermann's shoulder. "Oi?" The Aussie drawl was unmistakable. From the other side of Newton came a distinctly American reply. "I think you need to check yourself, man." Raleigh and Chuck were now flanking Newton and Hermann.

Hermann felt his chest swell. He was not the child he had been before. He had friends. He had Newton. He wasn't alone any more.

Chuck continued. "See, I don't think you wankers have any idea what you're dealing with. You say you know Dr. Gottlieb from school?" He looked down at Hermann. "Is that true?"

Hermann sniffed. "I knew them, yes. We were not remotely close to the realm of  _ chums _ ." Newton didn't seem satisfied with his answer and added harshly, "They made his life a living hell, is what he means."

Lucas seemed slightly more daunted by the two well fit men now guarding Hermann. He tried to weasel his way out. "It was all in fun, you know how boys are - and Hermy here just made it too easy!" He scoffed. "Besides, he's just a pathetic little swot, how could we resist?"

That only seemed to aggravate Newton further. He looked up at Raleigh for a moment before looking back at Lucas. "Look, you don't seem too smart. Just apologize before I let my friends here dismantle your pretty face."

Lucas didn't seem cowed. He simply gave Raleigh and Chuck a long look, as if seizing them up in preparation for a fight. He tried for full bluster. "Just because he's got a couple of nancy-boys for friends doesn't mean I'm going to apologize for something that happened back then."

Tendo had joined their small group, to Hermann's surprise. He spoke next. Hermann wasn't sure how he could handle all the support he was receiving. His chest was fit to burst.

"I dont think you  _ understand _ ," Tendo stressed as if Lucas was a half-wit. Which Hermann would argue he was. "You just called the jaeger pilots who saved this whole damn planet a couple of nancy-boy's." Hermann had discussed his childhood with Tendo briefly and discovered they had shared similar experiences. Tendo had a bad taste in his mouth when it came to bullies. "This isn't just a group of friends - you're talking to the last resistance - the end of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps."

No matter where you went in the world, no matter the time of day, or the day of the week, if you said the four magic words, silence was bound to fall on a room. It was as if the entire pub was now watching the exchange. Lucas looked significantly less confidant.

Tendo continued. "This is Chuck Hansen, co-pilot of Striker Eureka, which single handedly helped hold off the only Category V kaiju this world has ever seen while Raleigh Becket here and his co-pilot Mako Mori detonated the nuclear reactor of their jaeger Gipsy Danger and closed the breach."

"They would have never been able to do any of that if it weren't for the man you're harassing right now, Dr. Gottlieb. He wrote the code for the Mark I jaegers and perfected the kaiju prediction model and helped discover the secret of the breach with Dr. Geiszler."

Chuck looked lazily up at Lucas from under his brows with a predatory grin. "So I reckon you should apologize to my friend, here."

Hermann really was going to explode. Never had he felt so loved than in that moment. He could feel Newton's fury resonating next to him, through the post-Drift hangover that just never seemed to disappear. Lucas looked absolutely floored.

He took a step back, trying to desperately extricate himself from the situation. As his foot moved backwards, Lucas found himself toppling over. He was slammed bodily into the ground by a furious looking Mako Mori, who held him in place on the floor, one knee on his chest.

"Apologize to Dr. Gottlieb." Her voice was cold with a rage Hermann had only seen directed towards matters of her family.

"I - I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry! For everything!"

Newton looked down at him with a vicious grin. "I'm sorry,  _ what _ ?" he prompted, owning every second like a rock star as Lucas squirmed on the floor. He had never looked better to Hermann than in that moment.

"I'm sorry, Hermann!"

"This man just saved the world," Newton snapped. "That's  _ Dr. Gottlieb _ to you!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. - Dr. Gottlieb! I'm so sorry for the chalk and the names and everything, please don't let them hurt me!" Lucas whimpered as Mako adjusted before she stood, releasing him from her pinning hold on him. He scrambled to his feet. He glanced at Miles and Adam who were frozen in shock. To be fair, they just didn't have enough brain cells to process the events in time.

"Now, I think it's about time you lot rack off," Chuck finished, giving them all pointed looks. Lucas didn't need to be told twice before he had dashed out of the pub, Miles and Adam on his heels, calling for him to slow down.

The pub was silent for a long moment until the door clicked shut and then it erupted into the loudest cheers Hermann had ever heard. There were suddenly strangers offering to buy them drinks, shaking their hands, even complimenting Hermann. From the corner of their booth Herc and Stacker simply smiled into their drinks.


End file.
